Surname Woodle - Meaning and Origin
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Woodle: What does the surname Woodle mean?
The last name Woodle is of English origin and is a topographical name derived from Old English. The name Woodle likely referred to a person who lived or worked near a body of water such as a river or lake, or in an area of woods. In its most literal sense, the name Woodle comes from the Middle English "wodele," which means literally "wood" or "forest."
As a family name, the Woodles date back to medieval times in Britain, where the name first appears as a topographical name in such places as Shropshire and Norfolk. Records show that the first recorded spelling of the family name Woodle is that of Robert "Wodel," recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Wiltshire, England in 1172. Other records of the name Woodle in Britain date as far back as 1329 when John Woodle was listed in Herefordshire.
The Woodle name has also been found in records from other countries, such as France. One notable family from this area of Europe belonged to the French politician Paul Woodle, who served as the editorial director of the newspaper Le Monde.
The Woodle name may be seen as both historic and modern. It reflects a family with a long history of British nobility, but which is also seen as current yet also classic, in keeping with its timeless roots.
Order DNA origin analysisWoodle: Where does the name Woodle come from?
The last name Woodle is most commonly found in the United States. According to the US Census Bureau, it is the 760th most common name in the country. It is especially prevalent in President Dwight D. Eisenhower's home state of Kansas, where it is the 294th most common name. Beyond the United States, the name Woodle is much less common. The surname Woodle is found in small numbers in Scotland, Canada, Germany, Ireland, and the Netherlands.
In Scotland, there were fewer than one-hundred people with the last name Woodle in 2011. In Canada, the surname is found in only small numbers in British Columbia, Quebec, and the Maritime Provinces. The last name Woodle can also be found in Germany, Ireland, and the Netherlands, but again in very low numbers.
Overall, the last name Woodle is primarily found in the United States, although small numbers of people with the name can be found in other countries. The name is believed to have originated in England and be of Anglo-Saxon or Scottish descent, with the name first appearing on record in Suffolk, England in the mid-1600's.
Variations of the surname Woodle
The surname Woodle is derived from the old English ‘wooda’, which means ‘wood’. The variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin for Woodle include Woodall, Woolle, Woudle, Woole, and Wodall.
Woodall is the most common of the variations and it first appeared in England in 1012 when another variant, Wudel, was recorded in the Domesday Book. It may have been derived from a place name, such as Woodhal in Yorkshire or Woolle in Hertfordshire. This surname is especially common in Devon, where it was found as early as 1538 with the marriage of Robert Woodall to Agnes Abbot.
Woolle is the most uncommon of these variants. It was first recorded in 1204 when a priest named Aeymer Wulle was mentioned in The Calendar of Patrons. Other early records of the variant include a William Wulle mentioned in 1304 in The Place-Names of Shropshire and a Robert Wulle, found in 1320 in Charters of Clare College.
Woudle is an uncommon variation with the earliest record from 1273 of a man named Radulfus de Wudel in The Place-Name of Warwickshire. The variant Woole was commonly found in Scotland and has been documented since 1794 with William Woole's baptism in Edinburgh. The last variant, Wodall, is thought to be a Cornish form of Woodle, being first recorded in 1541 with the marriage of Nicholas Wodeall to Elizabeth Rogers in St Columb, Cornwall.
Famous people with the name Woodle
- Dewitt Woodle: former NFL football player
- Wally Woodle: former NFL football player
- Charles Woodle: television actor
- Raven Woodle: theatre and film actor
- Mark Woodle: stuntman
- Stokes Woodle: musician
- Harry Woodle: composer
- Charles Woodle Jr.: former professional golfer
- Jim Woodle: American tennis player
- Cynthia Woodle: American film and television actress